WBC News

The following is one of the weekly “Hook to the Liver” columns that have been published in El Universal every Sunday for the last five years and written by WBC President Jose Sulaiman.

This column was written by his children – Pepe, Lucy, Hector, Fernando, Mauricio, and Claudia – while he recovers from surgery. From December 15, translated from Spanish:

HOOK TO THE LIVER

IT’S A WONDEFUL LIFE!

Life gives you so many extraordinary surprises!

100 days have passed since the doctors detected a heart problem in our dear father. He’s spent 90 days away from home, and has been in intensive care for 75 days.

Three months have changed our lives and given us the opportunity to experience a “Big Brother” in our family. We have suffered, cried, laughed, celebrated, and have we fought! But at the end of every day we’ve thanked God for the opportunity given to us to have our dad, Jose Sulaiman, courageously fighting against all odds, to stand up and continue his life as he’s always done.

These days we select a list of the likes and favorites of Don José. And we love to talk to him, learning more about his life, which we share with you readers of his beloved column, “Hook to the Liver.”

The first toy brought by Santa Claus: A red lead horse.

Cherished memories of his childhood: Going to swim in the river when he lived in Jaumave, Tamaulipas, whose banks were lined with many trees full of birds.

Wonderful memories of his youth: Bohemian serenade nights in Victoria, Tamaulipas, and the time his friend, Raul Cruz, was surprised by getting soaked by his girlfriend.

Recalling his student days: His reaction when he saw his school, Holding Institute in Laredo, Texas, with its huge dormitory to accommodate so many colleagues – it surprised him a lot after being a child of relative solitude in small towns of his beloved Mexico

Everlasting memories of his beloved mother, Wasila, and her overjoyed reaction when he once returned to Ciudad Valles and surprised her, to spend a few days off from school in Laredo. His mom was playing with his sister Nelly and when she saw Pepito, she started crying with joy, running up to hug him and kiss him nonstop, with matchless love.

The first movie he saw: Tarzan, the Ape Man, with Johnny Weissmuller. His favorite movie: Gone with the Wind.

His favorite singer: Frank Sinatra in English, and Marco Antonio Muñiz in Spanish.